A Baby-Boomer comments on Millennials…how brave is that?!!
But I also talk about planetary cycles…so it’s not ALL about them. My thanks go to astrologer Jessica Adams for our recent email conversation, which got my braincell ticking on the ever-fascinating topic of the upcoming Millennial Generation.
As ever, let me know your thoughts!
I still recall with great clarity my first encounter with planetary cycles, in 1983. In the early days of a developing obsession with astrology, still grappling to acquire reasonable fluency with natal patterns, my focus – of necessity – was still limited to unlocking the complex symbolism of natal horoscopes. I had no idea that the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction at 6-9 Sagittarius that year, trining my 12th House Mercury from the Fourth House, was about to provide a wake-up call.
Charles Harvey
It came via a wonderful lecture on mundane astrology by the late, great Charles Harvey. “Time is the flowing Image of the Eternal…and the planets are the instruments of Time”, began Charles, quoting Plato’s ‘Timaeus’. That hour passed in seconds, or so it seemed. I was riveted. The idea that each horoscope is a unique ‘chip’ of the prevailing planetary pattern, which also symbolises the ebb and flow of collective and world affairs, was a revelation. Although no great expert in mundane astrology, my fascination with the great planetary cycles’ timing of the unfolding of collective and personal life, and their interweaving, has never waned.
The mighty Neptune/Pluto cycle of 500 years begins whole epochs: the most recent conjunction in the 1890s in Gemini began the Information Age. The Uranus/Neptune cycle of 172 years, from 2-3 Capricorn in 1821 to 18-19 Capricorn in 1993, produced seminal thinkers such as USA’s Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-162) and Germany’s Karl Marx (1818-83), a political philosopher and writer whose socialist ideas changed the world.
Neptune longs for a new, perfect vision of how life could be; Uranus breaks down the old order in ways never before envisaged, letting those new vistas take shape, paying little attention to the ensuing chaos. Those long cycles are change-makers, ensuring that nothing stays the same shape for long, either in our tiny personal lives or the patterns of the Big Picture.
The start of the last Uranus/Neptune meeting saw Karl Marx’s birth and growth to maturity. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, when Saturn joined the ending of that cycle and the seeding of the new one in 1993, saw the collapse of the Communist system birthed by Marx’s ideas.
Each generation bears its own stamp… The most recent Uranus/Neptune group began to appear with the applying conjunction in 1986 in late Sagittarius/early Capricorn, staying in range throughout the signs Capricorn and Aquarius until 1999. They are the ones now rising with the new Millennium, as we Pluto in Leo baby-boomers sink slowly into decrepitude and irrelevance…no doubt kicking and screaming as we go…
The Millennials are the future. So – what can they expect, and we expect from them, as the new world order recently birthed by Uranus/Neptune arises and takes shape? I wonder who will prove to be their Marx equivalent? I wonder who will be their Thoreau? Here are a few brief thoughts, which I hope will stimulate yours!
The 20 year Jupiter Saturn conjunctions, the “Great Chronocrators,” or Rulers of the Ages, are ‘concerned with the formation of our sense of social purpose and direction, our quest for concrete achievements in the world’ (Greg Bogart). The next Jupiter Saturn conjunction in 2020, growing closer and closer in late Capricorn throughout that year, finally reaches exactitude at 0 Aquarius at the winter solstice. (The most recent one, at 23 Taurus in May 2000, was the last in the earth element for around 800 years).
Next up, Pluto shifts from Capricorn into Aquarius in 2024, beginning a long trine aspect to the 1892 Neptune/Pluto conjunction in Gemini. More air. The next Uranus/ Neptune conjunction, in 2165, will take place in early Aquarius, their first meeting in the air element for a thousand years.
Thus, since 1980, when the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction at 5-8 Libra entered the air element for the first time since its last entry in the twelfth century A.D, we have been moving gradually into an air-dominated era, with the sign of Aquarius in high focus. We are moving from an emphasis on material development and planetary exploitation which characterised the Industrial Revolution and the whole materialist culture arising, to one of global social development – that of ideas, information, communication, and relationships – expedited by technology, for the coming 200 years or so.
This upcoming Uranus/Neptune generation, with its Capricorn/Aquarius mix, are a challenging bunch.They aren’t inclined to be gullible: Saturn’s influence – via his rulership of Capricorn and Aquarius – sees to that. They like proof.
My 23 year old nephew, just finished a Politics degree, currently doing a Masters in Overseas Development, is very much like that. He is interested in astrology and very open-minded, but I have to present the subject to him with grounded clarity. I like that challenge! The young folks whose charts I have read are having to learn to dance on a wobbly board, as it were: Capricorn craves order, whilst Uranus is bored by it and Neptune loves to dissolve it, see what lies in the open spaces of spirituality and imagination.
This generation will thus be arriving at maturity as the energy patterns dominating collective life shift from an earth element base to an airy fundament. The dominant sign energy, as we have seen, will be airy, collective, revolutionary, idealistic Aquarius. We are already seeing the early brushstrokes of this upcoming era, with the fast rise of the Internet and social media over the last decade, and with it young people who are expert at surfing those new cultural waves.
Let’s hope this Millennial generation arising, then their children, will slowly create a new kind of global interconnectedness: perhaps, even, a way of living which is not rooted in the despoliation of Mother Earth…
Zodiac
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950 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2016
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page
Astrology: Questions and Answers 
Those born during the 1989 – 1999 Uranus-Neptune conjunction have been, are, or will be challenged by the transits of Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. This is the first waxing square of Uranus to that conjunction, plus the transiting Uranus-Pluto square of the last several years. A challenging era for all of us, but particularly those born at that time.
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Yes, agreed, Mike.
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4.12.16:
Tim Burness:
Nice piece as usual Anne 🙂 Recently I’ve been looking quite a bit at the charts – and hearing about the lives – of those born around 89-93 with the Uranus-Neptune and Saturn in Capricorn close conjunctions. Very interesting… as a generalisation, there is a big sense of responsibility there, and a predictable degree of rejection/disillusionment of capitalism as we know it. They would be hard-pressed not to feel that I guess, it’s everywhere, shoved in their faces, so to speak! Although the likes of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran were born then too – some remarkably uninspired and safe music – the down side of the Capricorn planets lol? They aren’t the Pluto in Leo generation, that’s for sure!! x
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Tim – thanks for your kind words. And yes, Pluto in Leo, as well as producing us and our zany, egocentric generation, also produced a whole swathe of crazed dictators arising during the 1939-1957 period who between them murdered millions and created god knows how much environmental damage…surely the Millennials will do better than that? ! It’s hardly surprising if as individuals, in general terms, they are in some ways more risk-averse than we were…
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4.12.16:
Mara Owens;
Interesting that my own son born 1990, just turned 26, now rejects any sense of personal or social responsibility, tightly embracing capitalism and conspicuous consumerism. A radical flip flop rejection of his earlier ideals. His Sun Pluto conjunction in late Scorpio straddles his MC, with his Natal Nodal Axis the last degrees of Capricorn / Cancer straddling his AC opp Chiron. UR Neptune conjunction in his 12H. Quick to use strategic alliances for his personal gain. Ruthless in discarding people or connections as their usefulness diminishes. Even his mom.
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Mara, there is no easy comment to make regarding your son. But he is young still. That Uranus/Neptune in his 12th House may yet produce an entirely unforeseen spiritual turnaround.
When I was 27 and fancied myself as a Marxist, totally dismissing astrology, I had an unexpected encounter with an astrologer who read my chart and told me I would end up doing something very like him, probably astrology also, in around seven years. You can imagine how stunned I was by that prediction, which actually came true …so – never say never. Hope this helps, even a little bit. And thanks, Mara, for sharing your story with us.
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4.12.16:
Sellieve Neptune:
Ah yeah! Uranus conjunct Neptune Generation! At it’s worst: escapism thru technology. At it’s best: spiritual revolution
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Hi Sellieve, I was expecting that you would drop by. Thanks for your brief strapline. Anything more to say?
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Sellieve Neptune:
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Dec 6 2016:
I’m not sure what to say without writing a novel… Lots of people with a huge Capricorn stellium, some of us feel like we’re on a mission… Lots of millenials decide they don’t want children because they’re honoring the Capricorn archetype, focusing on themselves, the environment, and doing what they can to fight corruption…
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5.12.16:
Cheryl Sanderson:
What I love about the Pluto in Libra generation (so a little older) is their ability to share everything; from books, taxi’s (Uber), movies to music. They pulled together for a socialist democrat. They really know we are not in Egypt and yet Pluto in Leo is still going to die with their toys (or vinyl).
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Yes, well, toys or not, kicking and screaming or not, we Pluto in Leos have had our turn and are on our way out, Trump or no Trump. Let’s hope the Millennials make a better job of things than we did! Thanks, Cheryl!
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7.12.16:
Ann Vézina:
I have been working with some of the generation, the twenty-something, some turning thirty: with Neptune and Uranus in Capricorn, some even have Saturn with both. These people are involved and responsible, the very Capricornian trait. (Or don’t want to be responsible, anyway the dilemma is of importance). Around the world we saw young gullible lads going for the Jihad, that is the unfortunate part. Pluto now in Capricorn certainly has provided the crave. Otherwise we see a whole generation more involved in politics than their predecessors; they don’t like the world presented to them but are willing to take part of it. They are not impressed by the structure. They were grown up in a harsh world, were working hard was normal while boomers who had enjoyed leisure and creativity find it austere. Yes, I think that generation will bring tremendous change. They are about to be thirty as Saturn is approaching towards its return in Capricorn, and I think we will see some realization of their involvement.
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Thank you so much for this informative and thoughtful feedback, Ann.
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7.12.16:
Candice Smith:
Thank you for the additional insight into my Daughter’s chart. (1992 birth) She has the Uranus/Neptune in her 12th, with Pluto on the Midheaven. Her degree is Studio Art, however, I am encouraging her to consider politics. Cap Ascendant, Saturn in Aquarius in the First.
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Glad to be of help, Candice! Yes, that combo in the 12th is indeed powerful …. your daughter’s chart sounds pretty powerful too! It’s always good to encourage our young folks…but they will usually go their own way anyway, and if politics is where she is ultimately headed, maybe travelling some other paths on the way, will bring a range of experience which will help her to understand people’s lives and be a more useful politician in a few years’ time.
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Two steps forward… one step back; one stop forward… another back.. another back; three forward…
No serious frustrations, but nothing has been predictable…
When witnessing the challenges the earthquake ‘veterans’ are enduring, my token challenges are like pebbles.
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Yes, well, my nephew has just got back from Nepal where he has been helping with post-earthquake reconstruction. His stories make me realise how much we have to be thankful for, purely by accident of birth and geography.
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“Accident of birth” – so true…. there are so many stories, and sometimes it’s a struggle to know what to share and what to keep private.. sometimes revealing the stoic nature or a painful story can help others realize their own blessings… There’s one story I’ll write about a beautiful woman I met last week.. ah, so many things to share and so few hours in each day!
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I hope the last paragraph of your article is true Anne. Yet, what of the Pluto in Virgo generation, especially those who are conjunct Uranus, who are yet to be given the opportunity to lead, or the positions to make the changes that they have the knowledge and wisdom to implement, because the Pluto in Leo generation won’t give up their reign and the Pluto in Libra and younger generations get positions over the pluto in virgo, as they are not seen as a threat to the Pluto in Leo? Is the Virgo in Pluto generations karma simply to have the knowledge to assist Pluto in Leo’s past efforts bridge the millennials future efforts, and to work behind the scenes to get the work done whilst other generations get the recognition? When we look at Uranus/Pluto conjunctions in the past, we can always see transforming elements that seed future trends that follow through until the next conjunction. This article sheds some light,https://skywriter.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/vocational-angst-for-the-pluto-uranus-in-virgo-generation/. I’d love to know your thoughts on the subject Anne :).
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Thanks for this, Bridget – I missed it somehow in the ups and downs of the last few weeks! No time at present to go into the amount of detail that replying to your comment requires, but I’ve just read through Donna Cunningham’s excellent, detailed article and would thoroughly recommend it for those who want a bigger perspective on the Uranus/Pluto in Virgo generation. I’d just like to make the point, though, that the Pluto in Leo’s will have to let go, as all generations do, when they become too old to be effective and productive ( either positively or negatively) any more…
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It’s interesting to note that the Pluto in Leo sub-generation received their leadership posts in their 20’s and early 30’s, and kicked out the Pluto in Cancer sub-generation who were already doing a good job in management and were in their 40’s to do so! The Pluto in Virgo sub-generation are now 50-57 and still working behind the scenes, doing the bulk of the work, doing most of the voluntary work, doing most of the community work that nobody else wants to do; and by the time Leo give up their reigns, Virgo will be really old too, and will have to instruct the younger generations to lead with wholesome values as they are already doing. I think the Uranus/Pluto in Virgo sub-generation are here to transform surreptitiously leaving footprints and sowing the seeds for the future. :)..
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